Proboscidea louisianica from a safe distance.

Ibicella and Proboscidea plants get big. If you live in an area that has hot summers, expect the plants to be at least a meter (3 feet) across. They have a rather unpleasant smell--something like rotting gym socks. The smell won't put you off lunch but it does serve as a warning to remind you to keep away. And keep away is something you may want to do. The leaves and stems are covered with a resinous slime that you can't easily wash off. It gets on your clothes. It gets on your hands and arms. It gets on your garden tools. It won't come off. And then there are the seed pods. Those suckers are evil. They are very sharp. They are designed to snag onto animal feet and hold on until the poor beast dies and serves as fertilizer for the next generation of Devil's Claw.

Ibicella lutea, Proboscidea louisianica, and P. parviflora are not actually carnivorous and would instead be considered murderous plants. The smell probably attracts insects such as the small flies, gnats, and beetles that accumulate on the leaves. The insects do die. But the plant doesn't produce digestive enzymes and doesn't actively absorb the nutrients. In fact the slime itself probably limits the nutrients the plant could gain from the rotting corpses. The slime is most likely a predator defense although the plants can be ravaged by moth larvae that don't seem to be bothered by the slime and like to hide inside the hollow stems.

So why grow these plants? Because you can. Because you know they can't be that evil (you have been warned!). This is definitely not a house plant. Ibicella and Proboscidea should be planted in a garden or a very large pot. No special soil is required. Regular tap water is fine. Grow the plants like you would any long growing season plant in your area. Take care of it like you would tomato or zucchini. Fertilize it if you dare. The main requirement is full sun and hot weather. The full sun and very warm location are especially important if live you in a location with a short growing season.

Do not ever let these plants or their seeds get out of your direct control. They can become invasive weeds and kill wildlife. The Seed Bank can't ship the seeds to Australia and prefers not to ship them to the Americas south of the USA. Please check with your local authorities to make sure it is legal to import Ibicella lutea or Proboscidea louisianica seeds.

Most if not all the seeds distributed by the Seed Bank labeled Ibicella lutea were really Proboscidea louisianica.